Trust me
by Desperately Seeking Imprint
Summary: Quil was going through life pretty content with the way things were, and then it happened, an adorable, sweet two year old changed the course of his life forever. The next 14 years would be a roller coaster ride, one he never wanted off of. If only Claire could learn to trust him.
1. Not a chance

**A/N: Okay so I've had this desire for a while to write a Quil and Claire story. The one's I've read have been good overall, but there's always something I'd do or write differently. So I thought well hell, why not write my own? This story is going to be rated M for language. Do you really think a bunch of badass werewolves don't go around cursing from time to time? It'll also be rated M for chapters in the way way future. The way it'll work out is that these first couple of chapters will detail the first day of Quil meeting Cliare and how he, Sam, and Emily handle letting Claire's parents know the situation. I never feel like this is done enough in QXC stories. I mean c'mon, he's 16, most parents would have an issue with that, but then throw in the fact that he changes into a giant chocolate brown wolf and what do you have? I think a legit reason to call the Looney bin, but we'll see just how Claire's parents react in the next chapter. After these first couple, the chapters will jump through time, each touching on important moments in Claire and Quils growing relationship until she gets older. Then they'll slow down some. Oh, and I fully intend to have Claire completely in the know about the wolves. I never get it when some people have Quil keeping it a secret for so long. I will keep the imprint a secret until she is old enough to handle it though. So, read it over, let me know what you think of my idea and if you have any thoughts yourself of what you'd like to see in a QXC fic.**

I tied the strap back around my ankle for safe keeping. Leaving my clothes in a pile on the forest floor was a guaranteed way to wind up with a tick. It was almost laughable really. I was 6'4", 260 pounds of muscle, I could bench press a car, my cuts healed in a matter of minutes, I never got sick, yet I was scared of ticks and fleas. Their bites didn't hurt, and they couldn't get me sick, but they were annoying, itchy, and just plain gross. For that reason, I kept my hair cut short and tied my clothes to my ankle before phasing.

Not all of the guys had my same opinions, Embry being one of them. Although he'd cut off most of his hair when he phased, it was still much shaggier than the rest of ours. And most times when he phased he'd forget where exactly he left his pants. That had led to quite a few embarrassing moments for him, Emily, and Sue Clearwater. This is the reason Emily got in the habit of leaving extra pants, shoes, and shirts on her and Sam's back porch.

Emily…she was really like a second mom to all of us. She fed us, offered us a place to crash after patrols, and kept us in clean clothes. Since some of the other guys weren't even able to tell their folks about the pack, it really meant a lot. I didn't have that problem, since my grandfather was a council member and all that, but I still appreciated the food.

Speaking of food, I could smell it already. It was 11 am and Embry and I had done the early morning shift. We had just finished up and were on our way over for breakfast, and for some reason I couldn't get there fast enough. I was up for eating, but this morning seemed different. The air was buzzing, like it was filled with electricity, and it was making my skin tingle. I couldn't explain it, but I knew I had to get to Emily and Sam's house, like my life depended on it.

Embry was walking beside me, going on and on about some girl he'd met on the beach the day before. But I wasn't listening; it was all the same old anyway. Embry loved girls, all girls really, but he preferred the girls from Forks; the ones with blonde hair, big boobs, and little brains. And even since we'd phased, they were all over us. Not that I was interested. Don't get me wrong, I like girls, I mean, I LOVE girls. What's not to love? They're soft, they smell good, they have cute little laughs, and they're way prettier than dudes. I just prefer native girls to the girls from town, girls with bronzed skin, long dark hair, and almond eyes. Yeah, that does it for me.

My only two girlfriends in the past both fit that description, but I was currently single. I still thought about girls, hello I'm 16. But there was just too much else going on to focus on girls right now. Exploding into a giant wolf and learning that vampires really exist and shit kind of changes a guy's priorities. Besides, even if I had more time I don't know if I'd want to date, because of imprinting. I definitely don't wanna end up being the next Leah and Sam. It's painful enough reliving that through Leah; I don't need the first-hand experience, no thank you. If I could just walk into a room one day, look up, and suddenly meet the love of my life, why do I need to waste time dating?

Leah says imprinting takes your free will, turns you into a lobotomized puppet, but I disagree. How could I not after seeing the way Sam looks at Emily and Jared looks at Kim? They complement each other so well. I don't think imprinting robs us of anything. I just think it takes the work out of it. Say you meet someone, you think they're great, but you still have to go through all the motions before you realize if you're right for each other. Some people waste years trying to figure this out. But with imprinting, you just know, immediately, that this person is it, she's your everything, all you'll ever need. Yeah…so why date?

"Quil…dude are you alive in there?" I knocked away the hand the Embry was waving in my face and grunted in response. I couldn't remember what the last thing he'd said was, so I didn't really have a better response than that.

"So were you totally tuning me out or just partially?" See, that's the thing about Embry, we'd known each other for so long, our whole lives just about, that I really couldn't hide anything from him.

I looked at him and shrugged, the age old sorry equivalent of "sorry dude."

He just rolled his eyes and mumbled an "asshole" before jogging off ahead of me.

I knew he wasn't really offended. Embry was the most laid back guy I knew, he'd be over it by the time he reached the clearing in front of Emily and Sam's house.

Not wanting to give him a chance to start eating without me, I took up jogging as well and made it to the clearing just seconds after him. It was at that moment that the buzzing got louder and the tingle turned into an icy flame over my skin. I felt as if I was being pulled, compelled to go in the direction of the front of the house. Instinctively I started sniffing the air, checking for any signs of bloodsuckers. I'd never had this kind of reaction to one before, but I had to make sure. But there was nothing, not even a slight residual scent. Which would make sense because there hadn't really been any leech action around in months, other than the Cullen's that is.

So with vamps ruled out I really had no idea why I was being pulled towards the front yard, we usually always went in through the kitchen entrance on the side. Fastest way to get to the food and all.

Embry was already heading that way himself, walking up the steps towards the door. "Hey Quil, foods this way."

I looked back over my shoulder at him and gave him a nod, as if to say "you go ahead," but continued around towards the house.

I heard it before I actually saw her, a laugh, more like a giggle really. The sweetest, most innocent sound I'd ever heard and I knew I wanted to hear it again. I quickened my pace and just as I turned the corner into the front yard I noticed Sam step out of the house and onto the front porch. But that was quickly forgotten, along with just about everything else in my life; everything except her.

She was so tiny and perfect, standing their watching Emily blow bubbles and reaching up her chubby little arms to try and catch them. She looked directly at me as I'd come around the side of the house and I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. I couldn't stop starring. She was straining so hard to reach the bubbles and I wanted to yell at Emily to blow them lower, or just rush over and pick her up so she could have a better chance of getting them.

I was so transfixed that I didn't hear Sam calling my name. I didn't notice Emily stop blowing bubbles, I just saw her…until I was nearly knocked over by Sam. He'd jumped over the porch railing, wrapped his arms around my chest, and starting pulling me backwards. All I could do was strain to keep my eyes on her, but gave up once we reached the back of the house.

Sam let me go after a minute and I stayed, but what I really wanted to do was run back to her.

He moved around, blocking my way, looking down at me with heated eyes and a hard face of stone. "What the hell was that Quil?"

It took me a second to respond, to be honest, my head was pretty foggy and words just didn't seem possible. But with Sam looking down at me like he wanted to kill me, I knew I'd better come up with something.

"She…her…who is she?" was all I was able to come up with…thanks brain. As if it were being pulled, my body leaned to the left in an attempt to see around Sam's shoulder, even though I knew I still wouldn't be able to see her.

Sam just kept staring at me; I knew he wasn't going to let me go anywhere. "Tell me I'm mistake Quil. Tell me you did not just imprint on my niece."

I could hear him, but what he was saying just wasn't important, I just had to see her again, and I said as much. I think that was a mistake.

The next time Sam said my name it was in the deep double baritone of the Alpha, and I couldn't deny it. My body jerked upright, I looked straight at him, and the next thing I knew I was on my ass.

He'd punched me, hard. It wasn't overly painful, but it did hurt. I could feel the blood inside my mouth and I reached up to check that my nose was still straight. It was, thank goodness. Having to pop it back into place would not have been fun.

I looked back up at him and yelled as I stood, "what the hell Sam?" But I could see it, he was shaking. He was trying to control himself, I could tell, but it looked like he was fighting a losing battle. Sam hadn't lost his temper and phased in a long time, not since Emily. But it looked like his streak was about to end. I panicked. She was so close, if she ran around the side of the house with Sam mid-phase, he'd kill her, accidently of course.

That was it, that one thought was all it took, and I lost it as well, exploding just a second after him. Wanting to lead him away from her I turned and hightailed it into the forest.

I was half way there when I finally started paying attention to what was in his head instead of what was going on in my own.

_Sick, perverted, bastard. Going to kill him. Just a child._

I was confused for all of two seconds before I saw it; Sam replaying in his mind what he'd seen from the porch when I imprinted on her. His mind's eye went back and forth between me and her, and then stopped on me. The goofy, awe struck look on my face said it all. And then the picture disappeared and only the thoughts were left. But it allowed me to put two and two together.

Why Sam had dragged me away, why he'd punched me, why he was thinking I was a sick perverted bastard. Oh God, I hadn't even thought of it like that. She's just a child, and I imprinted. I'm a pedophile.

But, wait, I'm not, no, I don't feel_ that_ way about her. Suddenly I stopped and screamed at Sam. _Wait, this is crazy Sam._

But he didn't stop, he tackled me, and I didn't even put up a fight. _She's my niece and she's only two years old dammit._

_I know, fuck Sam just listen to what I'm thinking. I swear to you I'm not thinking about her the way you think I am. You'd know if I were lying, I can't hide anything. _

He stood over me, not letting me up, snarling and growling the entire time…but he was listening. I went through it all. I started with earlier today, describing what I'd been feeling, the compulsive pull to get to his house, hearing her laugh for the first time, and then seeing her. I went over and over that moment, so Sam could see everything I'd seen and know everything I'd felt.

She was adorable, precious, and innocent. I wanted to protect her, I wanted to make life easier for her, I wanted to hear that laugh over and over and over again. But that was it, nothing more. Nothing like what he had with Emily or what Jared had with Kim. It wasn't sick, it wasn't perverted, and I wouldn't let anyone think that it was.

To his credit he let me get through it all. When I was finally done he lowered his head and touched it to mine before backing off and allowing me to get up.

_I'm sorry Sam. I don't know how else to explain it. But I hope you understand. I just want to keep her safe and get the chance to be near her. I would never do anything to hurt her. _I pushed all of these thoughts at him. He had to understand, if he didn't, I'd never see her again. My heart constricted painfully at the mere thought.

_Alright, enough, I get it. _He snarled and then turned, heading in the direction of his house. _Are you coming?_

I took off after him, quietly walking behind him through the forest until we got to the edge before the clearing.

_Stay here, I'll run over and get some clothes from the porch._

I gave a nod and he took off. I'd completely forgotten about my shredded clothes until he'd mentioned it. Those were my favorite shorts too.

He was back in less than a minute and we quickly changed. But just before he took off into the clearing he turned and faced me. "I'm going to have to explain this to Emily. Wait over by the back porch. I'll come and get you."

I knew he was right. Emily must have noticed the exchange, and I'm sure she had questions. She wouldn't let me near her any more than Sam would until she was assured that I wasn't some sick pedophile.

I strode quickly over to the back porch and took a seat on the swing, waiting for Sam to come back. With each minute that passed, I grew more and more anxious. I knew she was over there; I wanted nothing more than to make sure she was okay and having fun. Didn't Sam know this was killing me?

And finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, he reappeared and told me to follow him. And there she was, standing in the grass just on the other side of the house. I was in awe, she was so small, but her laughter was so joyous as she played with another girl in the yard. I hadn't even noticed the other girl last time. She seemed to be a few years older, but they were getting along well, and that made me happy. Happy that she had someone to laugh and play with.

As I stood there taking all of this in, I completely missed the fact that Emily was standing there staring at me, at least until she spoke. "Quil, is it true?"

I just looked at her and nodded, and then focused my attention back on her.

Unfortunately, Embry chose that moment to emerge from the house, one of Emily's super huge muffins in his left hand and the phone in his right. "Hey Emily, phone for you, someone named Beth."

Emily just stood there for a second longer before she turned and walked up the steps of the front porch to take the phone from Embry.

I stayed where I was, watching her as she played; the ghost of a smile on my lips.

And Sam stayed watching me, likely making sure I didn't cross any lines.

And Embry, although he could be aloof at times, clearly picked up on that fact that something was going on. "Hey Quil, what's up man? You haven't even come in to eat yet."

I didn't answer, didn't know what to say really. I glanced at him, but no words came. But Sam didn't seem to have that problem. "He imprinted."

For the first time in his life, Embry Call looked speechless. Standing there, a muffin halfway to his mouth, and his eyes wide open. He seemed to recover after a moment, long enough to comment in typical Embry fashion, "no shit?"

My head snapped towards his and I nearly let out a growl as I replied, "watch your mouth."

He just stared at me again. I'd never been one to have a problem with curse words in the past, but that was before she'd come along.

And as my eyes left his and landed back on her, he finally seemed to catch up. "Who are they? And who'd you imprint on?"

Again Sam stepped up, offering Embry the answers he'd been looking for, "they are my nieces, and Quil imprinted on that one."

He pointed to her, and Embry's gaze followed. I held my breath for a second as he took it all in. I expected a lot of reactions, I mean, I imprinted on a baby for crying out loud. Predominantly I expected people to act just the way Sam had. But Embry, always one to surprise, didn't react at all as I'd expected.

He took a last look at me, my eyes looked on her, before belting out a laugh so loud he actually startled both girls and had them looking in his direction. He kept the laughter up, bending over and clutching his stomach as well. "You imprinted on a baby? That has got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard. How the hell does that even work?"

He didn't stop, keeping up his commentary from the porch I decided it was best to employ my ability to tune him out.

But when Emily came back out from using the phone, the look on her face made him quite down real fast. "That was Beth, she's on her way here with John."

She was looking at Sam, but I answered first, "Who's Beth?"

Emily looked from Sam to me as she descended the porch steps and came to stand beside me. "Beth is my sister Quil, and Claire's mother."

As soon as she said it, the name played through my head over and over again. I couldn't stop it if I'd wanted to.

Tentatively, I said it aloud, "Claire."

As soon as it was out, she looked up at me, and she smiled. My heart felt like it was going to melt away, her smile was so beautiful. But then she started walking. I thought maybe she'd go over to Emily, or even Sam, but no, she got to me and she stopped.

Claire looked up at me with her impossibly wide eyes and help up her hand. Instead of reaching down I decided to get on her level, so I squatted down and took what she help out to me.

"fower." And she smiled. Her voice was just as sweet sounding as her laugh, and I took the flower and examined it. It was nowhere near as perfect as she was, but I'd cherish it forever.

"Thank you Claire, that was very sweet of you."

She bestowed another heart melting smile on me which I returned, "We-come." And with that she turned and went back to playing.

When I woke up that morning I'd had the typical expectations for my day. Patrol, have breakfast at Emily's, hang around with Embry and Jake, and then crash.

Never did I expect that today would be the day that my life changed forever, that my center of gravity would shift, that I'd meet the one person who had complete power over me, and that she'd only be two years old. But would I change it if I could? Not a chance.


	2. Baby imprinter extraordinaire

**A/N: ALERT - Long winded authors note to follow: Okay so I got a couple notifications that people actually read this story and added it to their alert lists, yay! My one and only reviewer liked the detail I added about imprinting, and that's definitely going to continue. I like to add detail to my stories, instead of just glossing over important topics. This chapter is crucial to the future of the QxC, her parents reactions will determine just how much time Quil gets with her, so it is definitely needed. It's a lot of talking, not so much action, but it's a necessary chapter and sets the scene for the rest of the story. I'm also going to try and really establish the Quil character in this story. He wasn't really explained in all that much detail in the books. From New Moon we learned his proud of his Ateara heritage, and perhaps a little cocky. But also loyal to his friends and later to the pack, which we could see in the later books as well. The only other thing we learned is that Claire is his world; he has no desire or want to date any girls, he's happy just being there for Claire in whatever capacity possible. So I want to flesh him out and really develop him. In these first few chapters, Quil will be a little impulsive, somewhat immature, and not always so sure of himself. But he's a 16 year old boy, most 16 year old boys are this way. Just because he's a wolf doesn't automatically grant him wisdom and maturity. He's definitely going to seem more mature than Embry, but he still has a lot to learn. As the chapters progress, you'll see him growing as a person just as Claire will grow. Oh and in case you're wondering, I picture Michael Trevino as Quil, he plays Tyler Lockwood on vampire diaries, look him up if you don't know. And adult Claire I picture as a young ****Karina Lombard. I've loved her ever since she played opposite Brad Pitt in legends of the fall. So anyway****, enough of this, if anyone is even still reading. On with the story.**

I stood back up and Emily made her way over to me. She had an uncertain expression on her face, and it made me nervous. This situation was new to all of us, and I had no idea what the next step was, so I waited for her guidance.

"Quil, I think you should go."

I did a double take, those were the last words I expected to hear from Emily. She knew what the imprint was like, how could she expect me to just walk away from my Claire? I couldn't, I wouldn't, it was inconceivable.

She must have picked up on my panic by the look on my face because she quickly amended her statement, "Relax Quil, I don't mean for good. Just for a little while. Beth is on her way and if we have any chance of getting her okay to let you see Claire, we need to explain to her."

"But I don't think you should be here. I know my sister Quil, this isn't going to be easy for her to take. In order to explain why she should let you hang around Claire, we're going to have to explain all of it; imprinting, the pack, vampires. That's going to be a lot to take in and I think you being here will just make it harder."

She looked at me pleadingly. I could understand what she was saying. It was hard enough for me to take it all in at first, and I was the one who'd exploded into a wolf, so I knew it was true. I could only imagine what it would be like for Beth. And I trusted Emily, I did. I could see in her eyes that she was on my side and was only trying to do what was right. But it was still hard to accept, a part of me felt that I should be there, but the sensible side of me won out, and I nodded my head in agreement.

Emily let out the breath she'd been holding and smiled up at me, "Thank you Quil. I promise we'll let you know as soon as it's okay to come back, won't we Sam?"

I followed her gaze as she glanced at Sam. He'd been quite this whole time, simply assessing the situation. I couldn't help but wonder what was running through his mind, but I knew I'd have the opportunity to find out later once we both phased. His response was a simple "yes" and that was it.

I took a few deep breaths, preparing myself to go and wait idly by while the fate of my future with Claire was discussed in the Uley living room. But just as I was ready to make my exit Emily reached out and placed her hand on my forearm, stopping me. "Hold on just a second."

She turned and ran back into the house, emerging just a few seconds later with a blueberry muffin in hand, my favorite. "You haven't eaten anything yet, I have to make sure my boys keep their strength up." She winked at me as she handed over the muffin and I smiled my thanks, I was actually pretty hungry.

"Now go say bye to Claire and get out of here. I promise we'll make it okay."

I believed her, but leaving was still hard. I turned and walked over to where the girls were playing, squatting down again so I could be on their level.

"Hey Claire," She looked over at me as I called her name and turned slightly in my direction, but she didn't come over to me. "I gotta get going, thanks again for the flower." I held up the small flower that was in my left hand and gave her a quick smile.

Her gaze moved to the flower and her expression turned contemplative, her eye brows coming together as if she were trying to put something together. And then, unexpectedly, she took three small steps on her short little legs, closing the gap between us. Once she reached me, she lifted one of her tiny hands up and placed it on my cheek.

I closed my eyes, trying to sear this moment into my brain. If things didn't go well with her parents, this might just be the last time I'd see her. That thought nearly broke my heart, but I managed to stay calm. I opened my eyes again, looked down at her, and smiled. "Bye Claire, I'll be seeing you."

She dropped her hand from my cheek, and the spot where it had been felt cold from the loss of contact. As I rose her eyes followed, her head was titled back just about as far as it looked like it could go by the time I was standing and her eyes grew wide, as if she was surprised by how tall I was.

Turning my back on her and walking away was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do in my life up to the moment. But I did it, I had faith in Sam and Emily and I held onto the belief that I'd be seeing Claire again soon, just as I'd promised her.

….

Forty-five minutes later I was pacing back and forth through the forest, just a few miles away from Sam and Emily's place. By that time all the guys had heard about my situation. Embry had followed me from their place, cracking jokes the entire time and calling me the child imprinter extraordinaire. I guess that was better than being called a pervert, but I still wasn't in the mood to deal with Embry.

I'd phased and took off running, trying to get away, but he just followed suit, and it was nearly impossible to ignore Embry in wolf form, his thoughts were extremely loud.

But eventually he tired when he realized I wasn't taking the bait and I felt him shimmer out as he phased back to human. I knew he was probably going to track down the other guys to spread the news, but I just didn't care. All I could think about was my Claire and what was going on back at the house.

The other guys started making their appearances shortly after Embry had phased back, proving me right. He was such a chick sometimes, it was nearly impossible for him to keep something quiet.

I heard just about all the remarks I expected to hear, from Jared commenting on how the expression robbing the cradle wasn't meant to be taken literally, to Brady saying he was gonna lock his little sister up in her room until she was 14, seeing as I was only into the young ones, and Paul wondering if I was gonna lose interest once she hit puberty.

I ignored them all, none of that mattered. They could clearly hear what was in my head, and they knew how I felt and thought about Claire. If they even thought for a second that my intentions were anything less than pure, they'd be all over my ass in a second, and we all knew it.

So I sucked it up, I could take anything they could dish out. I knew that if all went the way I was hoping, I'd have a good 16 years of this shit ahead…I couldn't wait.

I was anxious, but okay, at least until Leah showed up. As soon as I felt her presence I cursed. She was the one person I didn't feel like dealing with. Not only did she hate imprinting, but I knew her ridicule would likely fall below the belt, and I didn't know if I could handle that.

_Hey if it isn't captain Pedo on the prowl. Waiting for daycare to get out Ateara?_

A low growl escaped and I could feel the hair on my back sticking up, I really wasn't in the mood to deal with Leah.

_Relax Ateara, I'm just busting your balls. I really just wanted to talk to you._

_Don't fall for it dude, you know how much she loves tearing into us. _Jared was still phased, along with Paul, and I couldn't doubt he was right. Leah didn't have the best track record.

_Fuck off Jared, you two Paul. I'm serious Quil; I need to talk to you without those two idiots interrupting._

I knew I wasn't going to get rid of her, when Leah was determined to do something she didn't back down. So I figured that the fastest way to get this over with would be to get rid of Jared and Paul. _Can you guys just take off? I got this._

_Whatever man, it's your funeral. _And with that I felt them both fade out, leaving only me and Leah.

_You have two minutes Leah. _I really didn't know if I'd even be able to stand her for that long.

_I know you think I'm a bitter harpy, hell, I guess I am in many ways, but I do have a heart Quil, and I think I understand imprinting a lot better than most of the guys, except maybe Sam._

Mentally I could feel her wince when she said his name, like it was painful. And I guess it would be. I could never really understand why it was so hard for her to let go and just move on.

_I know you all think it should be that easy, but it's not. Sam wasn't just some guy to me Quil, he was THE guy. The one I planned to marry, the one I thought would be the father of my children. What Sam and I had was love. _

_If imprinting and all this werewolf shit didn't exist, we'd still be together, because we were good together. Even if he would have met Emily as a human and felt something for her, he wouldn't have left me, because Sam is too loyal to do something like that._

_I know because I see it now. Even though I know he's happy with Emily, I know what he did to me pains him. He never wanted to hurt me and only something as powerful as imprinting could have made him do it._

I was stunned into silence. Listening to Leah explain herself, her thoughts like this, really put things into perspective for me. It made me feel for her instead of just wishing she'd disappear, and I couldn't figure out why she couldn't be like this all of the time.

_Because dumbass I don't want you or anyone else pitying me. Oh poor Leah, left by her boyfriend and having to watch as he moves on with her cousin. Fuck that. I'm tough, and I learned my lesson the first time. I'm never going to let myself be that vulnerable again. That's why I am the way I am Quil, it's my protection._

_Then why even come out here and tell me all this. What does it have to do with my situation?_

_I was getting there, but all of your questions threw me off track. So if there are no more interruptions I'll get on with it._

I stayed quiet and let her continue.

_So, even though imprinting basically ruined my life, I believe it's powerful. And I know that it will do more harm than good if you're not allowed to see Claire. So I want to help._

I was shocked again; she was pretty good at that.

_Quil, Beth is my cousin. And even though we're not as close as Emily and I used to be, I still know her pretty well. And I know it's going to take a lot of convincing to get her to agree to let you be around Claire. And I just figure, she already knows Sam used to be mine, but she doesn't know why he left me for Emily. If we could explain it, and she could see that I understand imprinting and how powerful it is, even after all of the pain it caused me…well, maybe then she'd get it._

_So…you want to help me? _I would have thought it impossible, but I was inside of her head. I could see her conviction. But was I going to let her help? Could I really trust her?

_Oh just get over yourself already. If I wanted to fuck things up for you I would have done it already. But if you don't want my help just say the word and I'll go home and get on with my day. Trust me; it won't break my heart if you never get to see the rug rat again._

And she was back. I was almost relieved; I didn't know what to make of sensitive, compassionate Leah. But I did understand, and I knew she was just trying to help, so why not let her?

_Okay then, glad we got that all settled. I'm gonna head over there. I'll let ya know what happens._

And with that she was off, I could see what she saw as she ran through the trees towards Emily and Sam's house, and then she was gone.

…

I'd made a mistake; I could feel it in my bones. I never should have given Leah the okay to go over there and speak up in defense of imprinting and my ability to spend to with my Claire. Yep, dumbest move ever Ateara.

It had only been fifteen minutes or so since Leah had taken off, and I didn't think I could take it any longer.

Five people were sitting inside the Uley house discussing my future and I wasn't there. I deserved to be there, to defend myself, didn't I?

I think I did, and that was that. I took off running; faster than I'd ran in a while. As I got closer to the house I could feel it, that pull, only this time I knew what it was. I knew who was on the other side of that imaginary string, my Claire.

I phased back at the tree line, hurriedly threw on my clothes, and jogged over to the house. I had no idea what I'd do or say once inside, but I knew I had to be there. I took the three front porch steps in one leap and didn't bother to knock on the door.

I opened it wide, walked right in, and stopped dead in my tracks as five pairs of eyes focused on me. Two of those pairs looked curious, one looked mad, one looked resigned, and the last pair rolled, giving me the "you're such an idiot" look. One guess who those belonged to.

I felt like bolting, but I knew that wouldn't make things any better in the end, so I stayed and decided it was time to say something. "Hi." Yeah, that was all I was able to come up with, nice work Ateara.

I looked over at Emily, silently begging her to help me, and she didn't disappoint. "Beth, John, this is Quil. He works with Leah and Sam."

I looked at both of Claire's parents and gave a curt nod in greeting. John nodded back but Claire's mom just kept starring, until finally she asked, "So…you're a wolf too?"

This was good, if she was asking that meant they hadn't talked about me yet, so I'd made it before they'd started talking about the imprint. I suddenly felt much lighter and ready to let the cat out of the bag. "Yes, ma'am," I started, "I'm a wolf too." I figured if anything, being nice and respectful to Claire's mom would only work in my favor. She held all of the power and I was prepared to do anything she wanted in order to get the chance to see my Claire.

Speaking of Claire, where was she? Ah, focus Quil, they're not just gonna let a two year old wander around by herself. Keep your head in the game.

I brought my attention back to the small crowd assembled in the living room just as Emily spoke up, "Quil, why don't you come have a seat over here?"

I gave a nod and made my way over to the chair next to the couch. It was extra wide and reinforced, designed and made by Sam especially for us wolves. We had a tendency to break the regular furniture. All of us had chairs and couches made by Sam in our own homes now. And making the pack furniture had led Sam to realize just how good of a carpenter he was, so now making furniture was his full time job, not just a hobby.

Once I was seated I looked around, waiting for someone to pick up the conversation, I wasn't really sure where they'd left off so I didn't know where to start. Thankfully Claire's dad took the reins. "Okay, so far today Beth and I have learned that werewolves and vampires actually exist, the truth about what happened to you Emily, and that something called imprinting is the reason Sam knew you were the person he should be with. But what I don't know is why now, why tell us after so much time has already passed? If you didn't want us to know before, what changed?"

That was a damn good question in my book, and based on all he knew so far I figured I'd shown up just in time. It looked like they had covered imprinting, just not how it affected his daughter. But even so, I still didn't speak up. I could have, I should have, but suddenly I was very unsure of myself. What would I even say? _So I know you just learned about all this imprinting stuff, but what you don't know is that I imprinted on your daughter, and now she's the center of my universe. _Well actually, yeah, I guess that is pretty much what I should say.

But just before I was able to open my mouth and get it out there, Sam spoke up. "John, I know that all you've learned tonight is a lot to take in. Believe me, I understand. I was the first of the group to phase. I had no idea what was going on, what was happening to me. If it weren't for the council members, I could have been lost out in the forest for days before I was finally able to change back."

"Thankfully though they'd been watching, and they were there when the time came to help me, to explain. But it was still the most surreal experience of my life." Sam was laying it all out there, and I started to see where he was going with it all. I just sat back and let him continue, waiting to speak up until he was done.

"But even though it was hard to handle at first, I wouldn't change it. When I imprinted on Emily, I was able to tell her because as my imprint, I didn't have to keep anything from her. Leah hadn't phased yet, so I wasn't able to tell her any of it. That's how it works, on a need to know basis, and before today, neither of you needed to know."

Sam paused, giving both Beth and John a chance to take in everything he was saying. I knew what was coming next, and it was nearly impossible to breathe. Everything depended on how they'd react to what Sam said next.

I thought he was going to come right out and say it, but he changed gears slightly. "Quil here is a good wolf, a good friend, and a good person. He's sixteen years old, although physically he looks like he's somewhere in his mid-twenties. But as long as he continues to phase regularly, he'll stay this way for many years. Once he stops phasing, he'll be able to start aging again. It's all part of the wolf. Phasing keeps us young and strong so we can face off against our enemies."

_Okay, now, it had to be coming now_. "Emily and I are both still young, but I have thought about our futures. I want to grow old with her, so I know that at some point I'll have to give up the wolf, and I'd do that for her. I'd do anything for her, be anything for her. As my imprint, I am bound to protect her, and do what is best for her, for as long as I live. I will always put her needs before mine, just as any other wolf would do for his imprint."

_Jesus Sam spit it out already. _"Earlier this morning, after running patrol with one of our brothers, Quil came to the house just as he does most mornings for breakfast. But today something was different. Something felt different for him, like he was being pulled. And when he saw Claire, he knew what had been pulling him, it was her. This morning, Quil Ateara imprinted on your daughter."


	3. Just the beginning

**A/N: Okay…so initially I was going to do each chapter as a separate point in Quil and Claire's lives after the initial imprint. But until she gets older, they'll really just be little snippets. So I decided it might be best to combine chapters with little snippets over the years. Maybe one good and one bad in each chapter? Let me know what you think.**

I wanted to wince, I wanted to close my eyes and pretend I was somewhere else, but I didn't. I sat, starring back and forth between Sam, Beth, and John, waiting for one of them to react. But nothing happened.

When I looked to Sam next his eyes met mine and I knew what he was trying to say. They were shocked and didn't know how to react, so we gave them time to take it all in.

Finally John stood. He looked from me to Emily to Sam, as he slowly started shaking his head from side to side, "Beth, get the girls, we're going…now."

My heart started pounding; this was exactly the type of reaction I was afraid of. They were going to take my Claire away and never let me see her again, and there would be nothing I could do to stop it.

But just before I had a chance to jump up and beg them not to go, Beth surprised us all. She reached out, laid her hand on Johns arm, and told him to sit down.

"Are you serious Beth? What are you even thinking? There's no way we're going to allow this."

Beth just starred up at him and spoke in an even sterner tone, "John, sit down."

I watched them closely and it looked like they were having some sort of silent debate, but Beth must have won because eventually John sat.

From there it was all a whirlwind. Beth asked questions which Emily, Sam, Leah, and I answered as best as we could. Her number one concern was of course Claire. But I think she could tell that Claire's safety and wellbeing was also what was most important to me.

John sat mostly in silence for the remainder of the conversation, though it was clear to me that he wasn't very happy.

Regardless, in the end it was decided that I would get to spend time with Claire, with rules of course.

I could only see Claire on the weekends.

Our visits had to be supervised

I could not tell Claire about the wolves until she was old enough to understand and keep the secret

I could only tell Claire about imprinting if she decided in the future that she wanted to be with me

Of course I agreed, as long as they let me see Claire I would have agreed to anything. Her parents controlled the show as far as I was concerned.

Once the ground rules were established Beth went to wake the girls. They'd been napping in the guest room as we talked.

I walked into the living room, waiting for Beth to come down the hall with the girls so I could say goodbye to Claire.

When I saw her again I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. Just a couple hours before I had thought that my light would be taken from me, but I was wrong. She was here, and by some miracle I was going to have the chance to be there for her, to protect her, every day of her life.

As they approached me Claire's eyes met mine and she smiled, she actually smiled at me. Even more incredible, once her mother got within close enough range, she reached for me; my Claire actually reached out for me.

I looked to Beth, silently asking for permission. Her nod was all I needed and I reached out, plucking Claire from her arms and bringing her to me.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that John did not take this well, and he walked out a moment later through the door off of the kitchen.

Although I fully intended to work on building a relationship with Claire's father, at that moment all I really cared about was the sweet girl in my arms.

I didn't think any of it would be easy; we had an uncharted course in front of us. But I figured the hardest part was over with. If I could convince her parents to let me be a part of her life, everything else after would be cake.

Boy was I wrong.


	4. Come back to her

**A/N: Okay, so from here out each chapter will be short snippets and I will have the year and Claire's age at the beginning. I will not go through every year, just the ones I have already plotted out to have special significance in the formation of Quil and Claire's relationship. This will go on until Claire reaches an age where the story can flow smoothly. Let me know what you think.**

1999 - Claire 3 years old

I ran through the forest, pushing myself harder than I ever had before, desperate to reach the Makah border. From there it would just be another few minutes until I reached the house where my Claire lived with her sister, Casey, her mother, and her adoptive father, John.

I had worked hard over to past six months to get John to like me. I obeyed all of the rules, I showed respect for him and Beth, and I treated the girls like princesses, both of them. It took some time, but he had finally started to come around over the past couple of months.

After the whole baby-imprinting debacle, I had learned from Sam that John wasn't Claire and Casey's biological father. Their real dad had taken off before Claire was even born and John had come into the picture when she was just two months old. He and Beth married quickly and John treated both girls as if they were his own.

That's why he had been so mad that afternoon at Emily and Sam's. Although he loved Claire and Casey and thought of them as his own daughters, they weren't. He felt his hands were tied when Beth put her foot down and demanded he sit.

I could respect him for that, he was only trying to do what was right for his family, protect his girls. I could never dislike anyone who treated my Claire so well.

So naturally, just as things started to calm down on the Claire front, something like this had to happen. Thinking about it again spurred me on and, after another minute, I reached the tree line surrounding the Makah reservation.

I quickly phased, threw on my shorts and t-shirt, and ran at the most human-like pace I could manage towards Claire's house.

Although it only took a few minutes, it felt like an eternity before I rounded the corner and finally saw Beth, Claire, and Casey playing in the front yard.

It took Beth a moment to notice me, but as soon as she did I could see the concern transform her features. I was sure the look on my face mirrored hers. Another cause for concern was the fact that it was just a Tuesday, and I never came over on Tuesdays, she had to know that something was wrong.

I didn't want to disturb the girls just yet, so I made my way over to the side of the house and motioned for Beth to follow. We were still able to keep an eye on them from there, but they were unable to see us. I knew that if I let Claire see me before talking to Beth, we'd never get a moment alone.

Beth looked up at me, worry and concern written all over her face, "Quil, what's going on, what are you doing here?"

I just stared down at her. I had gone over what I'd say in my mind a few times before getting here. But now that I'd made it, everything I'd thought to say just seemed weak, so I winged it, "Beth, do you remember the emergency plan Sam and I put together for everyone?"

Beth's eyes widened at the mention of the plan. After imprinting on Claire I became neurotic. It was so hard for me to accept the fact that I couldn't have Claire close to me in La Push to protect and look after. So to make up for it I started running to Makah every night after patrol. Once there I'd sleep in wolf form, on the ground, as close to Claire's house as I could get.

All of the guys got on me about this. It was irresponsible to be that far away from La Push, I was killing myself and coming to patrols exhausted because of all the running, and my frazzled head would just wind up getting me in trouble if real danger did show up. Yeah, I heard it all, and I couldn't even argue with it, but that didn't mean I liked hearing it.

But the worst was when Embry piped up, asking what I was going to do when a real big situation popped up? If I had to go to battle, I couldn't be there with Claire. That one remark is what had started the emergency plan.

I sat down with Sam, Jake, Paul, and Jared, discussing how we were going to protect our imprints and families in the event of a battle. It took a few weeks to put the plan together and fill everyone in, but once it was done I was a lot more confident that Claire would be okay in the event that a battle did take place.

As for killing myself by running to Makah every night, the rest of the guys really stepped up to help with that one. Both packs agreed to extend the perimeter of our patrols to include Makah. So no matter what, no matter who was on duty, no matter where I slept, Claire was always protected. Of course having a bigger area to patrol meant needing more guys on watch at a time, but we'd been managing pretty well so far.

But even with the emergency plan in place, this was serious, and I was scared. The fortune telling pixie had a vision, the kings of the leeches were coming, and it wasn't just to talk. Both packs had spent the last 24 hours strategizing, and we were as prepared as we could be. I was willing to go into battle to help Jacob protect Nessie and the rest of the Cullens, they were innocent and I protected the innocent. I'd tear those king leeches to shreds and risk my life to protect those who could not protect themselves. But dying was not what I was afraid of. No, what I was scared of was leaving Claire. If I died, I wouldn't be around to protect her. As my imprint, I know the others would look out for her, but it wasn't the same as having me. I also hoped that if I died, the imprint wouldn't affect her and leave her feeling as if something were missing for the rest of her life, as it would me.

Even though all of this and more had been running through my mind for the past 24 hours, I knew I had to focus. I had to get my head straight, get Claire and her family out of town along with the other imprints and families, and get back to the field for training and patrols.

I shook my head to get myself back in the game and looked down at Beth as she spoke, "Yes, I know the plan. But you said it was only needed for the most extreme cases."

Quil ran his fingers through his short hair, he could see the worry in her eyes and he wished this wasn't necessary. He didn't want to make Beth panic, but she needed to understand the urgency of the situation; her family had to leave, as soon as possible.

He exhaled loudly, closing his eyes to try and calm his agitation, but it didn't help much. When he opened them again he stared right into Beth's eyes and he knew that she could see it written all over his face.

Her face crumbled and Quil had to reach out and wrap his arm around her waist when her legs gave out. "Beth, listen to me, it's gonna be okay. That's why we have this plan, to keep you, your family, and all of the other imprint families safe."

When she didn't respond Quil wondered if she'd even heard him. The last thing he needed right now was for Beth to shut down and go all catatonic on him. So he tried again and gave her shoulder a little shake for good measure, "Beth, did you hear me? I need you to stay with me and do your part, like we agreed, remember?"

It took her another moment, but Beth finally responded, nodding her head and then looking up at Quil, "Okay, Okay, Okay…I can do this. I've got to go inside and call John, tell him to come home."

"Yes, that's the first thing, what next?" Quil prompted.

Beth appeared to be thinking for a moment before she replied, "Then…Then I have to pack bags for the girls and John and me."

"Good, that's good Beth. And then as soon as John gets home what are you going to do?" Quil new that talking through all of this and giving Beth something to focus on would keep her mind off of the bigger picture, off of the danger that was coming all too soon, and hopefully snap her out of this trance like state.

"When John gets home we're packing up everything in the car and we're…" Beth stopped and took a moment to take a few deep breaths. Quil just kept quiet, giving her a moment to compose herself. As she kept breathing deeply she seemed to gain her strength back. Quil was able to release his arm from around her waist but he kept close in case she needed his support again. After a few more breaths she was ready to speak again and she sounded much more composed and confident then she had just a minute ago, "Once the car is packed we're going to head to San Francisco and stay there with John's parents until we hear from either Sam, you, or someone else in the pack that it's okay to come home."

Quil let out a relieved sigh; as long as Beth remained composed he knew his Claire would be safe and make it out of Makah before nightfall. In the end, he didn't care what happened to himself, as long as his Claire was safe. As long as she had the chance to live, and grow, and be happy; that's all that mattered.

The next hour and a half flew by for Quil. He'd agreed to watch the girls in the front yard while Beth went inside and handled what she could. He desperately tried to make the time last; for all he knew, this could be the last time he saw Claire. But before he knew it Beth was coming out of the house and announcing that everything was in order and John was on his way home.

Quil nodded and turned to Claire, watching her play with her bubbles as Beth approached. "Tell me it's all going to be okay," she said as she reached his side.

Looking at Claire, Quil's heart ached at the possibility that he wouldn't be there to see her grow up, but he couldn't promise Beth something that he wasn't sure of himself. "Honestly Beth, I don't know. What I do know is that each and every one of my brothers is willing to risk their lives to make it okay."

They were both quiet for a while, simply watching the girls as they played; and then Beth spoke, "You know what worries me most?"

Quil looked down at Beth, but she wasn't looking back, she just kept her gaze fixed on the girls, or more precisely, on Claire. "No, what is it?"

"If you would have told me a year ago that a grown man would have some magical claim over my daughter, and that I'd be okay with him spending time with her, I would have said you were crazy..."

Quil didn't know where she was going with this, but he didn't interrupt; "Now though, now that I've seen it, I know how powerful it is. I see how Sam and Emily are together, it's like they're one. And even though what you and Claire have is…different, I still see the connection. I see how Claire responds to you, how she lights up when you're around, I see it all…And my biggest fear is what she'll be left with if something were to happen to you."

Quil felt the pain tear through him. Honestly, he worried about the same thing; he just didn't like to think about it. But if he died, would Claire suffer? Even if she was physically protected, would she feel the loss of him?

He let out a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, "I don't have an answer for you Beth."

She nodded her head and then looked up at him, "So you could die, and Claire could potentially spend the rest of her life feeling as if something were missing. Do you really think that's fair?"

Quil knew what she was implying, that maybe dropping out of Claire's life now, while she was young, was best for her. Was it fair for him to let a three year old get so attached? He didn't know. But he knew he wasn't strong enough to leave her. There was no anger in Beth's expression or her tone. She was simply a mother, looking out for the well-being of her daughter, and he couldn't fault her for that. "No, I don't think it's fair. I want Claire to have the richest, fullest life possible. But there's always going to be the possibility of me dying, and whether I die or simply drop out of Claire's life…the void would be the same."

She fixed her gaze back on Claire before she responded, "I'd never try to keep Claire from you. I know you would do anything to keep her safe. But I worry about my daughter. She's going to grow up knowing that monsters exist…And when she's old enough, she's going to know what it is you are to her…And that if anything were to happen to you, no one else on the planet could make her as happy as you."

Quil couldn't argue with that. Although he'd never seen what would happen to an imprint if her wolf died, he knew it couldn't be anything good. They felt the connection too, and if the pain was even half as bad as what he felt at the thought of losing Claire, it would be crushing. But he still couldn't leave her, he'd never leave her. "So what am I supposed to do Beth?"

At the question she turned and starred up at him before responding, "Just keep that on your mind Quil, while you're out there. I know you need to stay focused, but don't forget about her and what it would do to her if you didn't come back. So you go out there, you do what you need to do, but you come back…you come back for her."

The pleading look in her eyes nearly broke him. She was pleading for her daughter, for her continued happiness, which was all Quil wanted. He'd die to protect her and his people if that's what it took, but he wanted nothing more than to come home to his Claire and be here for her for the rest of her life. "I promise Beth, I'll do everything I can to make it home to Claire, I never want to leave her." Every word of it was true


End file.
